As Hou was asleep he had a dream, a dream of the Heavenly Space Dragon. He remembered what it did and how Mo Huai described it. In that moment, Hou gained a new idea for a cultivation technique.
A technique only possible from his enhanced mentality, he would utilise the gateway spirit which he could only activate for a split second previously.
Hou sat up, opening his eyes he saw Mo Huai was sitting with his eyes closed cross-legged on his bed. Hou stretched and then stood up while yawning.
He rubbed his eyes and vaguely remembered his dream, a fleeting image, something about a dragon and moving fast...
'A new technique? I can't remember what was it...' He grabbed his head with his hands and thought deeply making a quiet grunt.
Mo Huai, sensing Hou was awake, opened one of his eyes, watching Hou as he thought with his hands on his head.
However as he pondered the thought, the vague recollection he had disappeared like morning mist. He let go of his head and let out a deep sigh.
'ahh...it's gone. Next time I should remember to write it down as soon as I wake. Like Mo Huai said, sleeping can help generate new ideas.'
"I'm awake, what are we doing today?"
Mo Huai opened both his eyes stood up, moving from his bed with a cloud below him. He rocked his head sideways while thinking and then spoke,
"How about we take a look at the lower ranked cultivator fights. Technically they're not legal but they're tolerated by Myriad Cloud unless they get too dangerous."
"I can see that, I imagine higher level fights without real cultivators would be very dangerous."
"Yes, that's one thing that is highly strict in the black market fights, after a certain point you need to have spirit stones or a Spirit Stone Soul."
"I guess even criminals want to live, where is it? I don't see one on the map?" Hou had already consulted his map which was ingrained into his mind fully.
"It is actually, since it's technically illegal they call them 'Dance Troupes'."
"I see, there's a few of them in the map I have. Should we just go to the closest one... Midnight Dance Troupe?"
"That one seems fine, next to the names you'll see a number of cloud icons. The more there are the higher the level of fighters usually. This one only has half a cloud so it should be fine."
Mo Huai cracked his neck then attached his hair crown, activating it and transforming. He became the arrogant and flirtatious young master.
Hou grabbed his ring and activated it, feeling his body morph. Laws seemed to flow out of the ring and transmute into clothing and treasures. He grew slightly taller and gained his scholarly attire. On his belt, the brush and book formed from nothing.
As Hou looked down at the transformation he asked with his curiosity,
"These treasures really are amazing... How do they work. They don't seem to run out of laws? Is it just body cultivation-like techniques? How are they so strong with little mental energy?"
"Woah woah, slow down there. How about this, that'll be today's lesson... I'll explain a little now but leave the rest for later?"
Hou nodded and rested on the table in the middle of the room. Mo Huai took a treasure form his robe, a simple brush much like Hou's.
"This is an infinite brush, you saw the effect before. Without mental energy it writes forever. In reality it just contains a lot of ink laws and it is consumable. It works almost exactly like a real brush, that is the first type of treasure. These are called 'Modified Reality' treasures."
"Named so because they function much like reality but at a higher or modified level?"
"Indeed, quick learner. The next type is like your wings. They contain many laws which can be used for purely vibrational techniques, like body cultivation. These are called 'Mental Treasures'."
"Hmm.. I don't understand this type's name."
"Mental Treasures are named so since they use mental energy to vibrate the law and induce other effects. The last type are 'Full Treasures', these are ones which combine vibrational techniques while using up laws. One such example is these transformation treasures." As Mo Huai explained he pointed at his hair crown.
"If they consume laws, could our disguises suddenly unwind at any point?"
"In theory, yes, in practice no. This is because the laws are highly maintained while active. They only lose a portion when it is put back on."
"Then should we not just always have the transformation active?"
"Nope, think more like last night."
'like last night? The candle, I took too much and it was lost in one go, a steady stream is better? But how does that relate to the now? Oh. That it!'
"Because the slow draw of laws will accumulate and be more than losing a lot in a big go?"
"Bingo. That's the first reason, the other reason is that whenever you use mental energy while transformed a portion of it is used by the treasure like a tax."
"So that's why I needed to transform back to my real body before cultivating?!"
"Exactly, mental energy is an important resource you need to control tightly. Too much treasures cause a burden." Mo Huai did not use Full Treasures much, he relied on himself alone.
"I understand thank you!"
"Good, that is your introductory lesson in treasures, now we leave!" Mo Huai pointed to the door with his other hand on his hip.
Hou smirked and shook his head, walking towards the door and leaving. As the two left, they did not see Xiao Ye at the reception.
"Do you know where Xiao Ye is?" Hou asked in passing as he was leaving with Mo Huai.
The receptionist looked up and answered with a slight annoyance,
"Ughh another boy under her finger... She only works afternoons."
"O-okay sorry for... interrupting you?" Hou looked down at what the receptionist was reading, a newspaper written in that universally understood script.
'That script again, it seems so familiar. And I can understand it without any reason, what is it? Whenever I look at them I feel like somebody told me long ago what it said and I just remembered, how is that possible?'
Mo Huai then shouted out while holding the door,
"Hurry up Daizi, we're burning daylight here!"
Hou quickly ran up to Mo Huai and as they walked the street, following their mental maps Hou asked a question he's been meaning to ask,
"That writing...what is it? You know it looks like scribbles but I can understand it perfectly?"